Method for the continuous high-grade finishing of textile materials

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a method for the continuous high-grade finishing of materials, for example textile materials such as cellulose fibers, synthetic fibers, and the like which can be dried and cured by the influence of heat. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method for the high-grade finishing of textile materials which comprises impregnating a textile with a desired chemical preparation and heat-treating said textile material by passing therethrough a gas which has been heated to a temperature of about 140*-190* C.

United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,853,004 i leissner Dec. 110, 1974METHOD FOR THE CONTINUOUS 2,191,362 2/1940 Widmer et a1. 1l7/l6l LHIGH-GRADE FINISHKNG F TEXTILE aagarini et a}. 1 17/139 4 X arnoc eta 1. MATERIALS 2,992,138 7/1961 Bacon t 117/1394 [75] Inventor: HeinzFleissner, Egelsbach near 3,043,018 7/ 1962 Fleissner 1 1 34/115Frankfurt am Main Germany 3,147,066 9/1964 Brown et a1. 8/1 16.23,285,690 11/1966 Cooper et a1. 8/186 Assigneel V9113 Basel, swltzerland3,340,617 9/1967 Carroll 34/18 3,356,524 12/1967 Buell ll7/33.5 T [22]1972 3,430,352 3/1969 Fleissner 34/115 [21] Appl. No.: 235,924

Primary ExaminerWi11iam D. Martin Related US. Application Data AssistantExammer--Theodore G. Dav1s [63] cvntnuatcilon of Ser. No. 651,849, July7, 1967, Attorney Agent, or Firm Craig & Antone! 21 an one ForeignApplication Priority Data [57] ABSTRACT July 9 1966 Germany n 31472 Thepresent disclosure relates to a method for the continuous high-gradefinishing of materials, for exam- [52] CL 117/1193, 117/3335 T 117/1383A, ple textile materials such as cellulose fibers, synthetic 117/1394117/1395 A 117/143 A fibers, and the like which can be dried and curedby .51 int. c1. 1344a 1/48 the influence of heat More Particularly, thePramt [58] Field of Search 117/119 119.8 139.4 disclosure relates amethod for the high-grade 1 17/1383 A 1395 CO 139,5 A, 1,395 ishing oftextile materials which comprises impregnat- 1385 5 T 1 L 143 34/115 inga textile with a desired chemical preparation and heat-treating saidtextile material by passing there- [56] References Cited through a gaswhich has been heated to a temperature UNITED STATES PATENTS of about2,088,227 7 1937 Battye et a1 117/1394 23 Claims, 2 Drawing FiguresPATENIEL M 1 3.853.504

Inventor:

HEM/1 ALE/55mm METHOD FOR THE CONTINUOUS HIGH-GRADE FINISHING OF TEXTILEMATERIALS This application is a continuation of abandoned applicationSer. No. 651,849 filed July 7, 1967.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a methodfor the continuous high-grade finishing of materials, for exampletextile materials such as cellulose fibres, synthetic fibres or suchfibres which contain materials which can be cured by the influence ofheat.

High-grade finishing is primarily applied to finished products, such aswoven and knitted fabrics, nonwovens and the like. With high-gradefinishing the following results are attempted to be obtained:

1. Stiff finishing of textiles comprising synthetic fibers with andwithout a cellulose fibre portion, for example lace petticoats andnettings;

2. Permanent fixation of textiles of cottom and viscose staple fibre,possibly also containing a synthetic fibre portion;

3. Crease-resistant finish of textiles, especially of fabrics made ofcottom and viscose stapel fibres, for example a wash and wear finish;

4. Chemical shrinkproofing and wash-fast fixation of chemical finishingagents;

5. Improvement of the water-repellent effect and the permanence ofhydrophobic finishes.

It is well known to pad the dried material with a liquor which containsa synthetic resin product and suitable additives. A subsequent squeezingeffect dehydrates the textile material generally between about 70 and100 percent BDW. The material is then dried at a moderate dryingtemperature, preferably below about 100C. This low drying temperature isused in order to treat the fibers gently, to reduce a migration of theliquor to the surfaces of the fabric and to improve in this way thehandle and the softness as well as the durability of the finish.

Drying is generally effected on tenter frames and in some casesshort-loop dryers can also be used. However, in order to workeconomically a higher temperature must be applied. As a result, thequality of the material is reduced, that is, the material shows markedboard-like effects. For curing a subsequent heating for about 3 5minutes at a temperature of about 140 150C. is also required. Atpresent, this heating step is also-conducted on the aforementioneddevices. With contact heat-transfer as well as with jetting of thematerial, the heat generally reaches only the two outer faces of thefabric or the other textiles. The outer faces therefore dry more rapidlythan the fibre particles in the interior of the material and thus thereis a migration of the liquor which has not yet been dried towards thetwo surfaces and consequently the surfaces are enriched with thesynthetic resin and the additives. The material thus becomes flat andboard-like. In order to improve the handle of the material, that is toobtain a softer handie, a rolling calender treatment with cold rollersis frequently used between drying and curing, or a rewash, or amechanical after-treatment (breaker) is carried out after curing.

A further disadvantage of the tenter frames, mentioned above, is thatthe clips are heavily contaminated and in addition, it is extremelydifficult toremove the synthetic resin which has been cured on theclips.

An object of the present invention is to avoid the prior artdisadvantages in the continuous high-grade finishing of materials.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved methodfor the finishing of textile materials wherein a substantial uniformdrying of the textile material is effected thus substantiallyeliminating the migration of an impregnated liquid containing syntheticresins and other additives to the surface of said material.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improvedmethod for the high-finishing of textile materials wherein the softnessas well as the durability of the finished material is improved.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide animproved method for the continuous highgrade finishing of textilematerials wherein a very uniform curing is obtained over the old fabricwith as well as throughout the whole material thickness and also anextremely short treatment time is achieved which improves production andreduces cost.

Other objects and further scope of applicability of the presentinvention will become apparent from the detailed description givenhereinafter: it should be understood, however, that the detaileddescription and specific examples, while indicating preferredembodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only,since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope ofthe invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from thisdetailed description.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Pursuant to the present invention, it has beenfound that the above-mentioned disadvantages may be eliminated and amuch improved method for the continuous high-grade finishing of textilematerials may be obtained if a gas which has advantageously been heatedto a temperature of about C, preferably air or air-stream mixtures ispassed through the textile material which has been padded with chemicalpreparations. It has now been founded that by utilizing the teachings ofthe present invention, amigration of the padding liquor which containsthe products which are cured under the influence of heat to obtainhigh-grade finishing, towards the surfaces of the textile material canbe substantially avoided. The chemical preparations contain materialsfor curing and also additives such as softners, fillers,water-repellents, optical brighteners and other common auxiliary agents.The handle of the materials dried and cured in this manner issubstantially softer. Special after-treatments are no longer requiredand also it has been surprisingly found that the desired effects aresubstantially more pronounced with the same liquor concentration andliquor absorption. In this treatment the synthetic resin and theadditives do not only deposite on the surface of the fabric but an equalamount also penetrates the interior of the fabric. In this way animproved weighting and a fuller handle is obtained. Also thecrease-resistance and the bacteria-resistance of the material aresubstantially improved.

Furthennore, it was surprisingly found that is is possible to supportthe textiles by sieve means which serve as carrying and conveyingelements and to pass the heated gas through the textile material in sucha way that it is forced against the sieves. This treatment offers theadvantage that the material can be guided without any tension during thetreatment process. In this way it is also possible to properly treattextiles which are susceptible to textile stress, e.g., rayon fabricsand crepes. A tensionless throughput of the material is also possible ifthe material shrinks during the treatment process. It is only necessaryto overfeed the textile material to the sieves up to the amount ofshrinkage.

Up to now, it was feared that the sieves would be quickly soiled andclogged with the synthetic resin material using such a gas guidance,preferably air guid- 'ance. However, it has been found that the sievesare not contaminated if the material is adequately squeezed. Thus theliquor absorption of the textile material should preferably be belowabout 100 percent BDW.

Furthermore, it was surprisingly discovered that the required heatingtime for a complete curing is substantially shorter using the presentprocess compared to the conventional curing methods at the sametemperature. With the process according to the present invention andwith the passage of heated gas through the textile material, curingtimes of up to about 1 minute generally suffice, depending on theproduct to be cured and the particular textile material. Withlight-weight textiles which are very permeable to air the curing timesare even shorter than seconds. The curing temperatures to be mainted inthe process according to the present invention are to be adapted to therespective conditions. They depend, above all, on the textile materialsused, especially on the cellulose fibre portion. In general, the curingtemperatures can range between about 140 and 190C which are higher thanthose used in the known processes. Due to the substantially shorterheating times these high temperatures can be applied without fibredamage.

It is advantageous to' effect curing on a rotating sieve drum over whichthe material is passed or, in the case of higher working speeds, onseveral rotating sieve drums which are connected one behind the other.In the latter case, the textile material is alternately penetrated bythe hot gas on the individual sieve drums. In order to avoid a possiblemarking of the perforations of the sieves on the textile material,sieves with small perforations can be chosen. However, in many cases itis more desirable to cover the perforated drum jacket with a seamlessfine wire mesh on which the textile material rests. Also several layersof wire mesh can be utilized. Surprisingly, it has also been found thatdrying and curing can be done in one single process on sieve drums.Furthermore, it is also possible to effect curing and fibre setting ofthe synthetic fibre portion in one single stage if fibre setting has notbeen effected in one of the preceeding treatments.

According to another embodiment of the present invention one dryingproces step can be eliminated by carrying out the high-grade finishingimmediately after the washing process, by dehydrating the textilematerial down to a residual moisture content of about 35 60 percent bymeans of squeezing or vacuum extraction, by padding the material in ahighly concentrated liquor containing the desired preparations, and bydrawing and curing the material by passing the heated gas through saidtextile material.

For higher textile finish requirements the handle can be furtherimproved by treating the textiles after curing preferably on a sievedrum with steam or moist air and- /or by conditioning the material. Anintense impregnating effect of the textile materials with extremelyshort impregnating times is obtained if the textiles are penetrated bythe padding liquor containing the preparations for high-grade finishingin a suction drum bowl.

The textile materials which can be treated by the method of the presentinvention include any of the material or synthetic fibres including theglass and metalic fibres. The natural fibres can include cotton, wool,silk, cellulose, etc., and the synthetic materials may comprise thethermoplastic or thermo setting synthetic polymers such as polyolefins,e.g., polyethylene, polypropylene, etc., polyamides, e.g., thepolycondensation of caprolactam, the condensation ofhexamethylenediamine with adipic acid, etc., polyesters, e.g.,polyethylene terephthalate, etc., phenolic resin, e.g., phenolformaldehyde resins, urea formaldehyde resins, etc.,

polyvinyl material, e.g., polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, etc.,acrylate resins, e.g., polymethylmethacralate, copolymers of thesematerials with one another or with ethylenically unsaturated momoners,and similar type polymers.

For carrying out the method of the present invention, the apparatuswhich can be effectively used comprises a closed treatment chamber inwhich sieve means, preferably sievedrums, are provided as the conveyingelements, said sieve drums being subjected to a suction draft by ablower means. The sieve means are covered with at least one fine-meshedwire mesh. The apparatus serves for the simultaneous drying and curingof the textile materials. A conditioning compartment with a sieve drumsubjected to a suction draft may be correlated to this apparatus.

Favorable treatment effects are obtained if a bath with a suction drumsubjected to a suction draft and a squeezer means connected there behindis used as the impregnating device, and also a chamber with sieve drumssubjected to a suction draft for the treatment of the textile materialswith hot air, steam-air mixtures. Behind this chamber a conditioningcompartment with one conditioning drum may be used which provides theresidual moisture content in the textile material, which is verydesirable in achieving a good material finish. The material which hasbeen finished in this way may then be batched or packed and shipped-inthis condition. Together with the conditioning or instead of theconditioning, the material may also be cooled down. By using the methodaccording to the present invention a very uniform curing is obtainedover the whole fabric width as well as throughout the whole materialthickness. Another essential advantage of the method according to thepresent invention is the extremely short treatment time which permitshigh production speeds.

The following examples are given as illustrative of the presentinvention and not to be considered as limiting.

Example 1 Stiff-finish of woven and knitted fabrics of synthetic fibreswith and without a cellulose fibre portion."

The textile material to be finished is padded with a liquor whichcontains about 30 g/l of a partially etherified melamine-formaldehydeproduct in the liquid state, about 2 8 g/l of softeners about 5 8 em /lof a catalyst substantially free of water, for example zinc chloride oranother similar-catalyst and optionally about 2 g/l of an opticalbrightner. The material is squeezed to a moisture content of betweenabout 80 and 100 percent. The padded material is then dried and cured inone stage at a temperature of about 150 190C in about 20 90 seconds. Theheat-treatment is effected by passing air through the material on aheattreating and setting device of the type described above. The samesetting device is used for drying and curing the materials finishedaccording to examples 2 4.

Example 2 Crease-resistant finish of cotton and viscose staple fiberfabrics.

The finishing process of this example is particularly suitable forfast-colored Wovens, e. g. dress and pinafore materials, in the case ofcotton fabrics, and for highgrade viscose staple fibre materials, e. g.for raising articles, where much stress is place on a good abrasionresistance material. The material to be treated is impregnated with apadding liquor containing about 70 120 g/l of a partially etherifiedmelamine-formaldehyde product or similar product of the reactive type,about g/l of a softener optionally about 60 100 g/l ofurea-formaldehyde, 50 percent and about 10 l5 cm /l of a catalystsubstantiallyfree of water, for example zinc chloride or anothersuitable catalyst. The material is then squeezed to a moisture contentof between about 70 and 90 percent. The drying and curing of thematerial is effected in a single stage at a temperature of about 140 170C. A cold rolling calender treatment to improve the handle, as isusually required with conventional methods, is not necessary. Dependingon the weight of the fabric the curing time ranges between about 30 and90 seconds as compared with a pure curing time of about 3 minutes at atemperature of about 140 150C with the conventional methods.

Example 3 Chemical shrinkproofing and wash-fast fixation of finishingagents." Finishing agents such as starch products, cellulose ether,polyvinylalcohol, polyacrylamide and partially saponified polyvinylacetate are fixed, wash-fast with a synthetic resin product, for examplewith a partially etherified melamine-formaldehyde product. The tendencyfor shrinkage is reduced by the reduction of fibre swelling, and sincefinishing can be carried out without any tension on the material asdescribed in the present application, substantially shrinkproof fabricsand other textile products can be obtained. According to the presentexample about 30 60 g/l of a partially etherified melamine-formaldehydeproduct is added as a curing agent to a finishing bath containing one ofthe above-mentioned finishing agents. The finishing bath also containsabout 4 8 cm /l of a catalyst substantially free of water, for examplezinc chloride or another similar cataylst, as well as other additives.The material is dried and cured in a single process stage attemperatures of about 140 180C. The heat-treatment time ranges betweenabout 180 seconds depending on the weight of the material beingprocessed and its air-permeability.

Example 4 Improvement of the effect and permanence of hydrophobicfinishes. The water-repellent effect and the permanence of hydrophobicfinishes can be substantially improved by the process according to thepresent invention. At the same time the crease-resistance of thefinished material is also improved. To achieve this effect about 50 g/lof a liquid curing agent, for example a partially etherifiedmelamine-formaldehyde product and about 4 10 cm /l of a catalystsubstantially free of water, e.g. zinc chloride or a similar catalyst isadded to the usual finishing agent on the basis of paraffin or siliconeemulsions. The heat-treatment is effected in the same manner as any ofthe aforementioned examples.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will becomefully understood from the detailed description hereinbelow and theaccompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only andare thus not limitative of the present invention and wherein FIG. l is alongitudinal section of the apparatus of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the drying and curing chamber of theapparatus of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawingswherein like reference numberals are used throughout the various viewsto designate like parts the apparatus of the present invention comprisesa material length l which is to be treated by being washed in a washbowl 2, squeezed in a high-dry squeezer 3 down to a residual moisturecontent of about 35 40 percent and then impregnated in another bath 4with a liquor containing the prepara tions for high-grade finishing. Inthe embodiment of the invention shown, the baths and impregnatingdevices are provided with one suction drum each subjected to a suctiondraft. Instead of a suction drum bath 4, the padding liquor may be alsoapplied to the textile length on a padder. A subsequent squeezer 5dehydrates the textile length l. The squeezing effect should be belowabout 100 percent BDW, if possible.

The textile length l is then passed on to a drying and setting device 6.This device has a heat-insulated housing 7 which by means of alength-wise partition 8 is subdivided into a treatment chamber 9 and afan chamber 10. In the treatment chamber 9 sieve drums 11 subjected to asuction draft are provided as conveying elements on which the materialis guided alternately and penetrated by gas, preferably air, steam orair-steam mixtures. The suction draft is interrupted at those drumportions which are not covered with the material being treated by meansof baffles 12, so that the whole volume of recirculated air is passedthrough half of the drum jacket and thus through the textile materialwith an increased efficiency. For producing the suction draft fan wheels13 are correlated to the faces of the sieve drums in the fan chamber.The air drawn out of the drum is heated again by being blown by the fanwheel 13 into heater means 14, for example heater batteries which arearranged above and beneath the fan wheel. Then the air is returned tothe treatment chamber 9 where it is slightly retained by sieve sheets 15arranged above and beneath the sieve drum and equalized before it isreturned to the sieve drum. Theair is thus circulated several timesbefore it is discharged near the inlet. Fresh air is generally drawn inat the delivery end of the determined overfeed and thus to guide evenmaterial which shrinks during the treatment without any tension on thesieve drums. This is of particular importance for obtaining ashrinkproof fabric. At the outlet, the apparatus as shown is providedwith a conditioning compartment 19 in which the fabric is cooled downand provided with a predetermined residual moisture content. The designof the conditioning compartment corresponds to that of the precedingchamber. It is also possible to use this conditioning compartment 19 forcuring, in addition, if conditioning is not required. By means of aplaiting device 21 the high-grade finished textile material can befinally packed on to a wagon 20. However, it may be also rolled by meansof one of the well-known devices.

The diameter of the sieve drums may be adapted to the respectiveconditions and technical requirements. In general, drums with a diameterof about 20 350 cm are chosed. However, larger drums for example with adiameter of up to about m may be also used. The

width of the sieve drums depends on the textiles to be treated. Ingeneral, drums with a width of about 90 200 cm can be effectively used.However, if necessary, the width may be enlarged at option. The processof the present invention is not disturbed if beside the textile lengthspart of the perforated drum jacket remains uncovered. However, inextreme cases with wide drums and narrow textile lengths the lateraljacket area which is not covered with the textile material may bebaffled by means of a well-fitting collar. The time of material passagedepends on the time required forthe respective heat-treatment. By theshock-like drying and the uniform heating-up of the outer and innerzones of the textile materials a migration of the synthetic resins andthe residual additives is avoided.

It is also possible to establish different speeds of the drums connectedone behind the other so that the subsequent drums rotate at a slightlylower speed than the preceding ones. In this way it is possible toobtain a material overfeed and to allow for a shrinkage of the textilematerials in the warp direction during the heattreatment, and thus avoidmaterial tension. This overfeed may be done in addition to the overfeedobtained by means of the pair of intake rollers 18.

Furthermore thedrying and curing time and thus the production speed isinfluenced by the speed with which the heated gas is passed through thetextile material. The gas speed can be controlled by the properselection of the fan means and the setting of the fan speed. The gasspeed is furthermore influenced by the density of the textile materialresting against the drums. In general, it is set to about 0.5 5 m/sec.,although preferably the gas speed is at least about 2 m/sec.

Of course, it is also possible to subdivide the heattreatment plant intoa drying chamber and a curing chamber and to work with differenttemperatures in the two chambers. However, such a subdivision isgenerally not necessary.

Since modifications of this invention will be apparent to those skilledin the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exactconstitution shown and described. Accordingly, all suitablemodifications and equivalents may be resorted to which follows in thescope of the appended claims.

It is claimed:

1. A method for effecting continuous high-grade finishing of textilematerial which comprises:

1. impregnating a textile material with a liquid finishing preparationcontaining a heat-curable synthetic resin,

2. removing excess liquid finishing preparation from the textilematerial without the application of heat to provide a liquid content ofless than percent bone dry weight,

3. passing the impregnated textile material over and in contact with aperforated surface of a sieve drum means subjected to a suction draft,and

4. drawing a gas heated to a temperature of about C. to C. through theperforated surface and through the material at a rate of about0.55m./sec. to dry the textile material and to cure the resin rapidlywithin said material, said resin being cured in'about 20 to 90 secondsto thereby prevent migration of the resin to the surface of the materialduring said drying.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the gas is selected from the groupconsisting of air, steam and air-steam mixtures.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the finishing preparation additionallycontains softeners curing agents, fillers, catalysts, water-repellents,optical brighteners or mixtures thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the heated gas drawn through thetextile material to force the textile material against the sieve drummeans.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the excess liquid finishingpreparation is removed from the impregnated textile material bysqueezing the impregnated textile material.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the impregnated textile material issqueezed to the liquid content of less than 100 percent bone dry weight.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the textile material is washed priorto being impregnated with the liquid finishing preparation by drawing awashing medium through the textile material.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein curing is effected on the surface of aplurality of sieve drums subjected to a suction draft, the penetrationof the textile material with hot gas being effected by drawing the hotgas through the textile material, alternately on individual sieve drumsfrom each side of said material, thereby penetrating the material aplurality of times in opposite directions with said hot gas.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein after curing the textile material isconditioned with steam or moist air on a sieve drum subjected to asuction draft.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein after the textile material issqueezed, it is conveyed through a creel and a guiding means to theinlet of the heat-treatment zone.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the material to be treated is overfedto the sieve drums in the heattreatment zone.

12. The method of claim 1 adapted to forming a stifffinish on woven andknitted fabrics of synthetic fibres with or without a cellulose fibreportion wherein the material is padded with a finishing preparationcontaining about 30 80 g/l of partially etherified melamineformaldehyde,about -8 cm /1 of a catalyst, about 2 8 g/1 of softeners, and about 2g/l of an optical brightener, squeezed to a moisture content of betweenabout 80 and 100 percent and dried and cured in a single stage with agas heated to a temperature of about 150 190C.

13. The method of claim 1 adapted to forming a crease-resistant andabrasion-resistant finish on cotton and viscose staple fiber fabricswherein the material is padded with a finishing preparation containingabout 70 120 g/l of partially etherified melamineformaldehyde, about 60100 g/l of ureaformaldehyde, about cm /l of a catalyst, and about 10 15g/l of a softener, squeezed to a moisture content of between about 70and 90 percent and dried and cured in a single stage at a temperature ofabout 140 170C.

14. The method of claim 1 adapted to chemical shrinkproofing andwash-fast fixation of finishing agents wherein the textile material ispadded in a finishing bath with a finishing preparation containing about30-60 g/l of partially etherified melamineformaldehyde resin, afinishing agent selected from the group consisting of starch products,cellulose ether, polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylamide and partiallysaponified polyvinyl acetate, and about 4 8 cm /1 of a catalyst anddried and cured in a single stage with a gas heated to a temperature ofabout 140 180C.

15. The method of claim 1 adapted to improving the effect ofcrease-resistance and permanence of hydrophobic finishes wherein thematerial is padded with a finishing preparation containing about 50 100g/l of partially etherified melamine-formaldehyde, and about 4 10 cm /lof a catalyst, squeezed to a moisture content of between 70 and 100percent and dried and cured in a single stage with a gas heated to atemperature of about 140 190C.

16. The method of claim 7 wherein after washing the textile material issqueezed or vacuum extracted to the residual moisture content of about35 60 percent.

17. A method for the high-grade finishing of textile materials whereinsaid materials are provided with a softer finish, an improved weightingand fuller handle and an improved crease resistance and bacteriaresistance which comprises washing the textile material by drawing thewashing medium through the textile material, impregnating the textilematerial with a finishing preparation containing a heat curable resin,squeezing said textile material to a liquid content of less than percentbone dry weight, and drying the textile material and curing the resin inabout 20 to 90 seconds by conveying the material through aheat-treatment zone in contact with and on a perforated surface, whereina gas selected from the group consisting of air, steam and airsteammixtures, heated to a temperature of about to C., is drawn through saidmaterial whereby migration of the resin to the surface of the materialis pre vented; the penetration of the textile material by the varioustreatment media being effected on sieve drums subjected to a suctiondraft and the: material being conveyed without tension during thetreatment process.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein prior to being impregnated with thefinishing preparation, the textile material is washed by drawing awashing medium therethrough and then squeezed or vacuum extracted to aresidual moisture content of about 35-60 percent.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the heated gas is drawn through thetextile material at a rate of about 0.5 5 m/sec.

20. A method for the continuous high-grade finishing of textilematerials containing cellulosic materials synthetic fibers or blendsthereof which comprises padding the textile material with a liquorcontaining a heatcurable synthetic resin, removing excess liquor fromthe textile material, conveying the textile material over and in contactwith the perforated surface of sieve means and curing the syntheticresin in about 20 to 90 seconds by drawing a gas selected from the groupcon sisting of air, steam and air-stream mixtures, which has been heatedto a temperature of about 140 to 190C., through the textile material andsaid perforated surface in an amount and at a rate sufficient to curethe synthetic resin without causing migration thereof in the fibers.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the textile material is conveyed onthe surface of sieve means subjected to a suction draft and the heatedgas is drawn through the textile material in a direction such that saidmaterial is forced against the sieve means.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the heated gas is drawn through thetextile material at a rate of about 0.5-5m./sec

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the textile material is squeezed orvacuum extracted to remove ex cess liquor from the textile material toprovide a liquid content of less than 100 percent bone dry weight.

1. A METHOD FOR EFFECTING CONTINUOUS HIGH-GRADE FINISHING OF TEXTILEMATERIAL WHICH COMPRISES:
 1. IMPREGNATING A TEXTILE MATERIAL WITH ALIQUID FININSHING PREPARATION CONTAINING A HEAT-CURABLE SYNTHETIC RESIN,2. REMOVING EXCESS LIQUID FINISHING PREPARATION FROM THE TEXTILEMATERIAL WITHOUT THE APPLICATION OF HEAT TO PROVIDE A LIQUID CONTENT OFLESS THAN 100 PERCENT BONE DRY WEIGHT,
 2. The method of claim 1 whereinthe gas is selected from the group consisting of air, steam andair-steam mixtures.
 2. removing excess liquid finishing preparation fromthe textile material without the application of heat to provide a liquidcontent of less than 100 percent bone dry weight,
 3. passing theimpregnated textile material over and in contact with a perforatedsurface of a sieve drum means subjected to a suction draft, and
 3. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the finishing preparation additionallycontains softeners curing agents, fillers, catalysts, water-repellents,optical brighteners or mixtures thereof.
 3. PASSING THE IMPREGNATEDTEXTILE MATERIAL OVER AND IN CONTACT WITH A PERFORATED SURFACE OF ASIEVE DRUM MEANS SUBJECTED TO A SUCTION DRAFT, AND
 4. DRAWING A GASHEATED TO A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 140*C. TO 190*C. THROUGH THE PERFORATEDSURFACE AND THROUGH THE MATERIAL AT A RATE OF ABOUT 0.5-5M./SEC. TO DRYTHE TEXTILE MATERIAL AND TO CURE THE RESIN RAPIDLY WITHIN SAID MATERIAL,SAID RESIN BEING CURED IN ABOUT 20 TO 90 SECONDS TO THEREBY PREVENTMIGRATION OF THE RESIN TO THE SURFACE OF THE MATERIAL DURING SAIDDRYING.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the heated gas drawn throughthe textile material to force the textile material against the sievedrum means.
 4. drawing a gas heated to a temperature of about 140*C. to190*C. through the perforated surface and through the material at a rateof about 0.5-5m./sec. to dry the textile material and to cure the resinrapidly within said material, said resin being cured in about 20 to 90seconds to thereby prevent migration of the resin to the surface of thematerial during said drying.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein theexcess liquid finishing preparation is removed from the impregnatedtextile material by squeezing the impregnated textile material.
 6. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the impregnated textile material is squeezedto the liquid content of less than 100 percent bone dry weight.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the textile material is washed prior to beingimpregnated with the liquid finishing preparation by drawing a washingmedium through the textile material.
 8. The method of claim 1 whereincuring is effected on the surface of a plurality of sieve drumssubjected to a suction draft, the penetration of the textile materialwith hot gas being effected by drawing the hot gas through the textilematerial, alternately on individual sieve drums from each side of saidmaterial, thereby penetrating the material a plurality of times inopposite directions with said hot gas.
 9. The method of claim 6 whereinafter curing the textile material is conditioned with steam or moist airon a sieve drum subjected to a suction draft.
 10. The method of claim 1wherein after the textile material is squeezed, it is conveyed through acreel and a guiding means to the inlet of the heat-treatment zone. 11.The method of claim 1 wherein the material to be treated is overfed tothe sieve drums in the heat-treatment zone.
 12. The method of claim 1adapted to forming a stiff-finish on woven and knitted fabrics ofsynthetic fibres with or without a cellulose fibre portion wherein thematerial is padded with a finishing preparation containing about 30 - 80g/l of partially etherified melamine-formaldehyde, about 5-8 cm3/1 of acatalyst, about 2 - 8 g/1 of softeners, and about 2 g/l of an opticalbrightener, squeezed to a moisture content of between about 80 and 100percent and dried and cured in a single stage with a gas heated to atemperature of about 150 - 190*C.
 13. The method of claim 1 adapted toforming a crease-resistant and abrasion-resistant finish on cotton andviscose staple fiber fabrics wherein the material is padded with afinishing preparation containing about 70 - 120 g/l of partiallyetherified melamine-formaldehyde, about 60 - 100 g/l ofureaformaldehyde, about 10 - 15 cm3/1 of a catalyst, and about 10 - 15g/l of a softener, squeezed to a moisture content of between about 70and 90 percent and dried and cured in a single stage at a temperature ofabout 140 - 170*C.
 14. The method of claim 1 adapted to chemicalshrinkproofing and wash-fast fixation of finishing agents wherein thetextile material is padded in a finishing bath with a finishingpreparation containing about 30-60 g/l of partially etherifiedmelamine-formaldehyde resin, a finishing agent selected from the groupconsisting of starch products, cellulose ether, polyvinyl alcohol,polyacrylamide and partially saponified polyvinyl acetate, and about 4 -8 cm3/1 of a catalyst and dried and cured in a single stage with a gasheated to a temperature of about 140 - 180*C.
 15. The method of claim 1adapted to improving the effect of crease-resistance and permanence ofhydrophobic finishes wherein the material is padded with a finishingpreparation containing about 50 - 100 g/l of partially etherifiedmelamine-formaldehyde, and about 4 - 10 cm3/1 of a catalyst, squeezed toa moisture content of between 70 and 100 percent and dried and cured ina single stage with a gas heated to a temperature of about 140 -190*C.16. The method of claim 7 wherein after washing the textile material issqueezed or vacuum extracted to the residual moisture content of about35 - 60 percent.
 17. A method for the high-grade finishing of textilematerials wherein said materials are provided with a softer finish, animproved weighting and fuller handle and an improved crease resistanceand bacteria resistance which comprises washing the textile material bydrawing the washing medium through the textile material, impregnatingthe textile material with a finishing preparation containing a heatcurable resin, squeezing said textile material to a liquid content ofless than 100 percent bone dry weight, and drying the textile materialand curing the resin in about 20 to 90 seconds by conveying the materialthrough a heat-treatment zoNe in contact with and on a perforatedsurface, wherein a gas selected from the group consisting of air, steamand air-steam mixtures, heated to a temperature of about 140 * to190*C., is drawn through said material whereby migration of the resin tothe surface of the material is prevented; the penetration of the textilematerial by the various treatment media being effected on sieve drumssubjected to a suction draft and the material being conveyed withouttension during the treatment process.
 18. The method of claim 17,wherein prior to being impregnated with the finishing preparation, thetextile material is washed by drawing a washing medium therethrough andthen squeezed or vacuum extracted to a residual moisture content ofabout 35-60 percent.
 19. The method of claim 17 wherein the heated gasis drawn through the textile material at a rate of about 0.5 - 5 m/sec.20. A method for the continuous high-grade finishing of textilematerials containing cellulosic materials synthetic fibers or blendsthereof which comprises padding the textile material with a liquorcontaining a heat-curable synthetic resin, removing excess liquor fromthe textile material, conveying the textile material over and in contactwith the perforated surface of sieve means and curing the syntheticresin in about 20 to 90 seconds by drawing a gas selected from the groupconsisting of air, steam and air-stream mixtures, which has been heatedto a temperature of about 140* to 190*C., through the textile materialand said perforated surface in an amount and at a rate sufficient tocure the synthetic resin without causing migration thereof in thefibers.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the textile material isconveyed on the surface of sieve means subjected to a suction draft andthe heated gas is drawn through the textile material in a direction suchthat said material is forced against the sieve means.
 22. The method ofclaim 20, wherein the heated gas is drawn through the textile materialat a rate of about 0.5-5m./sec.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein thetextile material is squeezed or vacuum extracted to remove excess liquorfrom the textile material to provide a liquid content of less than 100percent bone dry weight.